This trip has been a long time in the the making. The idea formed several years ago when I first learned of my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather's Civil War journey and imagined following his path. Since then, I have continued to research our family history and learned a great deal more about our ancestors in the Civil War. Our trip has expanded and evolved with my research. It has been has been postponed and rescheduled. Now, here we are -- excited to be in the final planning stages of what will be our longest road trip to date!
My role in preparation for this trip was family history research. I will admit I know I still have much more to discover but I a pleased with how much information I have gathered. I compiled a biographical sketch of each ancestor I know of with Civil War service. I am making a binder for the trip which will include the bios, a few scans of interesting documents and images, and also our itinerary with highlights of the importance of our different stops.
As always, my husband, project manager that he is, has been the master planner. I provided him with the names of the different battles and locations from my research and he planned the route to fit within our time and budget constraints, keeping my original desire to follow my 4th Great Grandfather's path as the first half of the trip and then fitting in what stops we could for the remainder of the trip. He has thought of everything and has each day and contingency thoughtfully mapped.
We are currently in the booking stage, having to wait for the time window to open up for us to use the points we have accumulated with our Choice Privileges Visa for comp rooms. We are also still tweaking the stops we want to make but our itinerary has taken shape as a 17-day journey spanning 3,000 miles through 11 states to explore the Civil War and our ancestors' connections to the places we will be visiting, take in the natural beauty in those parts of the country, and visit family and friends along the way.
Civil War Road Trip Tentative Itinerary:
Day 1: Drive to Springfield, Illinois, to see a few Lincoln sites and have lunch. Drive to Litchfield, Illinois, hotel for night.
Day 2: Drive to Mt Vernon, Illinois, for lunch with family. Drive to McLeansboro, Illinois, to visit to grave of my 4x Great Grandfather, JB, who was the inspiration for this trip, in the town where he lived most of his life. Drive to Shawneetown, Illinois, where JB mustered into service for the Union. Drive to Wolf Lake, Illinois, for dinner with family. Drive to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, hotel for night.
Day 3: Drive to Memphis, Tennessee, where JB had arrived by river transport and encamped. Drive to Southaven, Mississippi, for dinner with family, hotel for night.
Day 4: Drive to Hernando, Mississippi, where JB's regiment took part in a raid. Drive to Vicksburg, Mississippi, for highlight number one of the trip -- JB fought at the Battle of Vicksburg and has his name on a memorial there!
Day 5: In Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4th, 1863, and we are looking forward to celebrating the 4th of July in that same place 154 years later!
Day 6: Drive to Jackson, Mississippi, where JB took part in the Siege of Jackson. Drive to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to visit with friends, hotel for night.
Day 7: In Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Day 8: Drive to New Orleans, Louisiana, where JB arrived by river transport, being among the first Union troops to make the descent of the mighty Mississippi River. JB was discharged due to disability here and thus ended his Civil War journey. Drive to Orange Beach, Alabama, for our kids' first experience with the ocean.
Day 9: In Orange Beach, Alabama.
Day 10: Drive to Montgomery, Alabama, to fit in a bit of MLK Jr & Civil Rights history along our way. Drive to Gadsden, Alabama, hotel for night.
Day 11: Drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to experience Lookout Mountain, hotel for night.
Day 12: Explore Chickamauga National Military park where my husband and I each have an ancestor who served. Drive to Cherokee, North Carolina, hotel for night.
Day 13: Experience Mingo Falls and Clingman's Dome. Drive through Smoky Mountain National Park to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, hotel for night.
Day 14: Drive to Maryville, Tennessee, for lunch with family. Drive to Murfreesburo, Tennessee, hotel for night.
Day 15: Explore Stone River National Military Park where my husband and I each have an ancestor who served. Drive to Hodgenville, Kentucky, to see Lincoln's birthplace. Drive to Shepherdsville, Kentucky, hotel for night.
Day 16: Drive to Perryville Battlefield where we have discovered my husband had kin fighting on both sides of the battle. Drive to Indianapolis, Indiana, for dinner with friends, hotel for night.
Day 17: Drive home.
It will be quite the adventure and hopefully just the right mix of history, nature, adventure, and relaxation. We can't wait to see how it all plays out!
